Schaub leading undefeated Texans to elite status

Oct. 5, 2012
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Through four games, Texans quarterback Matt Schaub is completing nearly 67% of his passes with a 7 to 1 touchdown-to-interception ratio in leading Houston to four straight wins. / Troy Taormina, US Presswire

"Matt called us into the equipment room and the watches were there for seven of us,'' left tackle Duane Brown said.

"He just wanted to show he appreciated his linemen.

"He takes us out to dinner often. Every Christmas he gets us something pretty nice like the trip to Las Vegas this spring. First-class tickets and three nights.''

No one knows more than Schaub, 31, that time is of the essence. The nine-year veteran missed the final six regular-season games and the first two postseason games in Texans history due to a Lisfranc foot injury suffered in Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"It was very tough last year to go through what I had to watch from the sideline at the end of the season, not being able to be a part of that,'' Schaub told USA TODAY Sports.

"It gave me tremendous motivation in my rehab to come back even stronger. And I have an extra hunger and excitement for this season.

"I'm always excited coming into any season, but more so for this season, knowing what we have in this locker room and the opportunity that we have here. I'm in this business to win a championship.''

Schaub has thrown for seven touchdowns with one interception, completing 66.9% of his passes entering Monday night's game at MetLife Stadium against the 2-2 New York Jets.

"Matt's been an elite quarterback for a long time,'' Brown said. "This year, he's hungrier than ever given that he had to sit and watch us perform in the playoffs last year.

The fourth-year linebacker noticed the transformation after the quarterback had a piece of his left ear ripped off with his helmet last week on a vicious hit by Denver Broncos linebacker Joe Mays.

Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon said it was the hardest shot he's ever seen a quarterback take and he was impressed how quickly Schaub jumped back up with blood gushing from his ear. He came out for one play, returning after having the bleeding stanched.

"We already knew Matt was tough,'' Cushing says, "but when he got up from that shot to his ear, it sent a message to the whole team.

"From that experience and the way he's played this year, I don't want to say Matt is a different player. But he's taken command of this team in a way that's never been done before."

Cushing describes Schaub as the team's "clear-cut leader." And what he's doing on the field doesn't hurt either.

"He's playing as well as any quarterback in the league right now," Cushing says.

Schaub ranks third in the league in passer rating at 105.3 and he has been sacked three times -- fewest in the league -- so his generosity to his linemen is being rewarded.

The Texans are unbeaten in the last eight games Schaub has been healthy enough to start, outscoring opponents by an average of 32-12 over that span with Schaub passing for 12 touchdowns with two interceptions and a 68.4 completion percentage.

"That's one of the top quarterbacks in football,'' Jets coach Rex Ryan says. "He's a difference-maker at that position.''

"Obviously, he's very comfortable in the system. He's a hard play-action fake guy. He runs a lot of bootlegs. It's hard to get to him.''

Schaub has worked hard to camouflage the handoffs and run-action fakes coach Gary Kubiak has designed to spring his quarterback out on the edge on bootleg passes. Those plays have given him space to strike deep down the field to either big-play receiver Andre Johnson, tight end Owen Daniels or receiver Kevin Walter.

Consider that in 2009, Schaub averaged 36 passes per game in throwing for a league-best 4,770 yards and 29 touchdowns when the Texans went 9-7 and Schaub earned Pro Bowl honors.

This season, Schaub is averaging 31 passes per game.

"Gary Kubiak has shifted their offensive philosophy,'' Moon says. "They don't need to throw that much now with the way Arian Foster is running the ball. So they've reeled in Matt's throws."

"I like the balance they have, especially in today's NFL where everybody's winging it everywhere. They're showing if you have balance, you can be better.''

So how good are these 4-0 Texans?

"It's still early, but they're the most complete, most consistent team I've seen in the league,'' says Moon, now a Seattle Seahawks radio analyst. "They play great defense, create turnovers, run the ball very well and throw it very efficiently."

Moon says he doesn't see any glaring weaknesses.

"They have a lot of experienced veterans to go along with a lot of talented young guys. If their key guys can stay healthy, I wouldn't see why they wouldn't be in the AFC Championship game, especially if they get home-field advantage."

Physical and determined, the Texans take after their tough-guy leader, who keeps reminding them it's their time to make a championship run.

"We know what it takes to get there, having gone through what we did last year,'' Schaub says.

"It's about putting ourselves in the same position we did last year and taking advantage.''